Research Results on the Japanese Approach to Supply Chain
Management: Reliance on integration
Prakash .D (Corresponding Author)
Research Scholar, Department of Management,
Singhania University, Jhunjhun, Rajasthan, India
E- mail – Prakashtek@gmail.com
C.T.Sunil Kumar
Food Corporation of India, Trivandrum, Kerala, India
E-mail – hamsingh@ymail.com
Abstract
This paper deals with the application of quantifying lean manufacturing and its effectiveness in Japanese
automobile industry. Case studies were carried out on Japanese automobile industry on the application of lean
production, regarding the Japanese approach to the Supply Chain management approach to Supply. The
Research results on the Japanese Approach to supply Chain Management are illustrated in the following sections
1. Introduction
The high level of economic development observed in post-war Japan has drawn the attention of scholars to the
practices adopted by Japanese automakers and their approach to supply chain management, which became known as
the Lean Production System. The practices used under the Lean Production System, so-called Lean Practices, are
meant to bring continuous improvements to manufacturing processes through the commitment of the work force
towards the reduction of non-value-added tasks.
Such practices should be considered principles that direct the way workers conduct their jobs, rather than simply
techniques, and they aim to achieve an ideal situation of perfection (Imai, 1986; Liker, 2004). Moreover, they are
only optimized when jointly implemented with all firms in the supply chain network. Take the example of genryoseisan (production plans based on dealers‟ order volume), which is focused on reducing the gap between dealer’s
orders and the production of vehicles to zero.
In as much as this perfect match could be considered ideal, genryo-seisan functions as a guiding principle that directs
the negotiations between automaker and dealers, so that they can make a joint effort to constantly improve the
system (Fujimoto, 1999). In this manner, Lean Practices can be defined as: guiding principles focused on reducing
non-value-added tasks which are optimized when jointly utilized by an automaker and its supply chain network.
One of such practices are the kaizen activities, in which workers on the shop floor are constantly trying to improve
the manufacturing process by implementing minor changes in their daily work. Kaizen is connected to the idea of
“ongoing improvement, involving everyone”, including top management, managers and workers and is based on
incremental rather than radical innovation. The philosophy of kaizen, therefore, assumes that the product and work
processes can always be improved and the entire workforce should be constantly committed to finding ways to
promote ameliorations.
2.Kaizen activities
Participation in kaizen activities develops new knowledge, skills, and abilities that may be applied to subsequent
problem-solving tasks (Farris et al, 2009; Imai, 1986). Hence, kaizen creates an environment and organizational
culture which compels the workforce to constantly improve the company’s products and internal processes, even in
periods of prosperity and without any apparent external threat.
Education and training are essential to develop such an organizational culture and to create a mind-set in the
workforce which continually identifies and finds solutions for manufacturing problems. In fact, a high level of
involvement of blue-collar workers can only be achieved through a mixture of on-the-job and off-the-job training
that goes far beyond the acquisition of basic knowledge of electronics and mechanics.

During on-the-job training, blue-collar workers in Toyota learn much of what is deemed white-collar work, so that
they can develop a wide range of skills that go from the repetitive work of operating machines to handling minor
maintenance tasks and dealing with unforeseen situations (Koike, 1988). Moreover, the Japanese approach to quality
control involves the entire workforce in all areas of the firm, as well as suppliers and dealers. The responsibility to
maintain and enhance quality standards is delegated from inspection and quality control personnel to workers on the
shop floor (Cusumano, 1985; Imai, 1986).
Due to the important role played by blue-collar workers, Lean Practitioners acknowledge the necessity to provide
real-time information for workers at the shop floor. This information is available through the practice of Visual
Management, which is based on the use of numerous charts and signboards scattered throughout the factory to
supply data about the production process for both managers and blue-collar workers. The so-called Andon
Signboards, for instance, located above assembly lines, provide real-time feedback of production troubles and are an
efficient mechanism for defect detention and on-the-spot inspection (Fujimoto, 1999).
3. KANBAN System as applied to Japanese approach to Lean manufacturing
The KANBAN system and just-in-time manufacturing are Lean Practices that demonstrate the relevance of a close
relationship between the automaker and its supply chain network. The KANBAN system is a production and
inventory control system in which the downstream station obtains just enough components as needed and the
upstream station produces just enough to replenish what has been used.
The optimization of the KANBAN system requires the adoption of just in-time manufacturing, or synchronized
delivery, in which components are supplied at exactly the same time as the body sequence in the assembly line. Just
in-time manufacturing demands a close relationship with suppliers, since components are delivered in frequent and
small lot size. The Lean Production System promotes a high level of integration among all firms in the supply chain
network by interconnecting all stages of the production process, including product development, manufacturing,
purchasing and after sales services. One of the clearest advantages of such an integrative approach to supply chain
management is the optimization of just-in-time manufacturing and consequent decrease of inventory costs.
Moreover, production problems such as machine failures, defective production, time-consuming machine setups,
long transportation distances, might create the need for buffer inventories. Inventory reductions will make those
problems visible and when they are solved, a rise in productivity and quality can be expected (Flynn et al, 1999).
Lieberman and Demeester (1999) present empirical evidence of an increase in productivity due to inventory
reductions in a survey conducted in the Japanese automobile industry.
Dyer and Nobeoka (2000) also affirm that “the cost and quality of a vehicle are a function of the productivity of a
network of firms working in collaboration.” Their research emphasizes the advantages of integration in Toyota
suppliers‟ network for knowledge sharing and collaborative improvements. In fact, the close contact and face-to-face
interaction between automaker and supplier is said to facilitate tacit knowledge transfer, to reduce communication
errors and make feedback more effective (Dyer, 1996). Since this type of integrative supply chain management
favors the accumulation and sharing of knowledge within the network, the automaker will not lose the expertise of
an activity outsourced to its suppliers.
Regarding this topic, Takeishi (2002) distinguishes “task partitioning” from “knowledge partitioning.” While the
former indicates which organization is responsible for the tasks of manufacturing a specific component, the latter
designates “who has knowledge for the tasks among organizations.” He advocates that an automaker should “keep
the knowledge of the outsourced task within the firm, rather than outsourcing the knowledge together with the task.”
This discussion is relevant for this paper because it illustrates the problem of focusing on coordination rather than
integration in supply chain management. By focusing on coordination, automakers outsource both tasks and
knowledge to their first tier suppliers.
There are no joint efforts in problem-solving and knowledge is not shared. In an integrative approach, the automaker
keeps the knowledge even when outsourcing the task. Integration, therefore, favors information sharing and creates
conditions for enhancing productivity and quality of the whole supply chain network.

This knowledge sharing and accumulation might become a competitive advantage for the supply chain network
(Dyer, 1996). Moreover, one should also consider the risks involved in excessive specialization on the core
competence, since the firm might lose “both assets and talents as a result of outsourcing of manufacturing operations
and just coordinating product flows to markets” (Kemppainen and Vepsäläinen, 2003).
By keeping a high level of knowledge sharing within the supply chain network firms might avoid this problem of
overspecialization, because, at the same time that they focus on their core competence, relevant information remains
available and can be more easily shared at the inter-firm level.
Additionally, Japanese automakers recognize the importance of considering public policies and the relationship
between public and private sectors for successful strategic planning. The pattern of communication between the
government and firms is close and intense, focused on promoting collaboration to achieve mutual objectives (Evans,
1995; Dore, 2000). One should note that the capacity of managers and public officials to design efficient strategies
or policies is limited by bounded rationality. Not only is it difficult for them to comprehend all the forces at play in
the world’s economic environment, but also to anticipate the effects of the interaction of such forces (Simon, 1991;
Conner and Prahalad, 1996). Accordingly, a constant and close pattern of information exchange between public and
private sectors is necessary for designing effective policies and for readapting such policies to unpredicted changes
in the economy.
4.KANBAN Planning and Execution
KANBAN is a method for maintaining an orderly flow of material. KANBAN cards are used to indicate points at
which material should be ordered, how much material is needed, from where the material should be ordered, and to
where it should be delivered. With IFS’ KANBAN solution, you can perform an advanced KANBAN calculation
using an actual demand profile to determine whether an inventory stock out is likely to occur with the current system
settings. The system can calculate KANBAN quantities or the number of KANBANs based on past usage of parts.
You can recalculate and redeploy your KANBAN circuits within a day when demand shifts IFS’ KANBAN solution
lets you perform stock out simulations by retrieving demand from a variety of sources and for different time spans to
determine whether you KANBAN quantities are balanced You can use either visual or electronic signals for
replenishment. KANBAN replenishment can be from supplier, a sister plant, an inventory location, a location group
or a production line. Options for demand type, KANBAN formula, safety factor, signal type, and replenishment type
let you adjust the use of KANBANs to best match your environment
.
IFS’ KANBAN solution helps you maintain your KANBAN cards. You can easily keep track of the number of cards
used in the system, add or subtract cards during seasonal changes in demand, or print or replace cards
5. Review of Toyota’s approach to lean manufacturing
In the mid-1980’s, U.S. auto industry was in crisis. It was rapidly losing market share to Japanese competitors. The
Japanese automakers were able to make better quality cars with fewer defects resulting in better customer
satisfaction and thereby creating an image of excellence across the globe. Toyota Motor Company, which despite
1973 oil crisis increased its earnings, was able to continue increase its market share. Even today, Toyota is one of the
world’s most successful automakers that have perpetually outperformed their competitors in terms of quality,
reliability, cost, delivery, after sales service etc. Japanese manufacturing systems have been rigorously researched by
global academia.
The famous book “The Machine That Changed the World” written by Womack, Jones, and Ross (1990) awoke the
US manufacturers. Over the last two decades, many researchers have studied Toyota Production System (TPS) and
have documented various principles and practices used by Toyota (Womack and Jones, 1994; Liker, 1998; Adler,
1993, Spear and Bowen, 1999; Sobeket al. 1998). Researchers, who studied and documented TPS in the 1980’s,
termed the total approach as “lean manufacturing” although the principles behind lean are not in themselves new;
which can be traced back to the work of pioneers such as (Deming, 1986; Taylor, 1911; Skinner, 1969); because of
its ability to attain and realize so much more in terms of final outcomes with the deployment of fewer resources. The
ideas were adopted because the Japanese companies developed, produced, and distributed products with less human
effort, capital investment, floor space, tools, materials, time, and overall expenses (Womack et al., 1990).

Lean manufacturing was accepted as an innovative paradigm-that eliminates waste in any form, anywhere and at any
time, relentlessly strives to maintain harmony in the flow of materials and information, and continually attempts to
attain perfection. Ohno (1988), Shingo (1989), Womack et al. (1990), Monden (1997) and many other researchers
made wide ranging contributions to popularize the lean approach. Stunned by the Japanese growth, many companies
in the US and developed countries pursued ways to develop and make products more quickly and efficiently, tried
very hard to imitate or implement TPS.
These manufactures started using various tools and shop-floor practices identified as key elements of lean approach
such as Just-in-time, KANBAN, setup time reduction, production leveling, production cells, quality circles etc.
Strangely, despite their power and ability to greatly improve operational performance, these tools have not been very
effective in lean implementation.
Many of the companies that report initial gains from lean implementation often find that improvements remain
localized, and the companies are unable to have continuous improvements going on. One of the reasons, we believe,
is that many companies or individual managers who adopted lean approach have incomplete understanding and, as a
result, could not be able to gain all the benefits as Toyota enjoys. Frustrated by their inability to replicate Toyota’s
performance, these companies assume that secret of Toyota’s success lies in its cultural roots.
But Toyota has successfully introduced its production system all around the world, including in USA, and New
United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) is a well known example to narrate the success story (Adler 1993). The
objective of this paper is to report some learning by way of understanding and evaluating the lean implementation
practices in some major companies in India, USA, and UK.
Stemming from the view of lean manufacturing, as an area of professional practice, there is a need yet to define lean
approach: the content or subject matter of implementation. This consists chiefly of the models, methods and
techniques, tools, skills and other forms of knowledge that go into making up any practice.
6.Overview of the Toyota Production System
The wastes noted above are commonly referred to as non-valued-added activities, and are known to Lean
practitioners as the Eight Wastes. TaiichiOhno (co-developer of the Toyota Production System) suggests that these
account for up to 95% of all costs in non-Lean manufacturing environments. These wastes are:
• Overproduction – Producing more than the customer demands. The corresponding Lean principle is to manufacture
based upon a pull system, or producing products just as customers order them. Anything produced beyond this
(buffer or safety stocks, work-in-process inventories, etc.) ties up valuable labour and material resources that might
otherwise be used to respond to customer demand.
• Waiting – This includes waiting for material, information, equipment, tools, etc. Lean demands that all resources
are provided on a just-in-time (JIT) basis – not too soon, not too late.
• Transportation – Material should be delivered to its point of use. Instead of raw materials being shipped from the
vendor to a receiving location, processed, moved into a warehouse, and then transported to the assembly line, Lean
demands that the material be shipped directly from the vendor to the location in the assembly line where it will be
used. The Lean term for this technique is called point-of-use-storage (POUS).
• Non-Value-Added-Processing – Some of the more common examples of this are reworking (the product or service
should have been done correctly the first time), debarring(parts should have been produced without burrs, with
properly designed and maintained tooling), and inspecting (parts should have been produced using statistical process
control techniques to eliminate or minimize the amount of inspection required). A technique called Value Stream
Mapping is frequently used to help identify non-valued-added steps in the process (for both manufacturers and
service organizations).
• Excess Inventory – Related to Overproduction, inventory beyond that needed to meet customer demands negatively
impacts cash flow and uses valuable floor space. One of the most important benefits for implementing Lean
Principles in manufacturing organizations is the elimination or postponement of plans for expansion of warehouse

space.
• Defects – Production defects and service errors waste resources in four ways. First, materials are consumed.
Second, the labor used to produce the part (or provide the service) the first time cannot be recovered. Third, labor is
required to rework the product (or redo the service). Fourth, labor is required to address any forthcoming customer
complaints.
• Excess Motion – Unnecessary motion is caused by poor workflow, poor layout, housekeeping, and inconsistent or
undocumented work methods. Value Stream Mapping (see above) is also used to identify this type of waste.
• Underutilized People – This includes underutilization of mental, creative, and physical skills and abilities, where
non-Lean environments only recognize underutilization of physical attributes. Some of the more common causes for
this waste include–poor workflow, organizational culture, inadequate hiring practices, poor or non-existent training,
and high employee turnover.
This TPS system, more than any other aspect of the company, is responsible for having made Toyota the company it
is today. Toyota has long been recognized as a leader in the automotive manufacturing and production industry. [2]
Toyota received their inspiration for the system, not from the American automotive industry (at that time the world's
largest by far), but from visiting a supermarket. This occurred when a delegation from Toyota (led by Ohno) visited
the United States in the 1950s. The delegation first visited several Ford Motor Company automotive plants in
Michigan but, despite Ford being the industry leader at that time, found many of the methods in use to be not very
effective.
They were mainly appalled by the large amounts of inventory on site, by how the amount of work being performed
in various departments within the factory was uneven on most days, and the large amount of rework at the end of the
process. However, on a subsequent visit to a Piggly Wiggly, the delegation was inspired by how the supermarket
only reordered and restocked goods once they had been bought by customers.
Toyota applied the lesson from Piggly Wiggly by reducing the amount of inventory they would hold only to a level
that its employees would need for a small period of time, and then subsequently reorder. This would become the
precursor of the now-famous Just-in-Time (JIT) inventory system. While low inventory levels are a key outcome of
the Toyota Production System, an important element of the philosophy behind its system is to work intelligently and
eliminate waste so that inventory is no longer needed. Many American businesses, having observed Toyota's
factories, set out to attack high inventory levels directly without understanding what made these reductions possible.
The act of imitating without understanding the underlying concept or motivation may have led to the failure of those
projects. The underlying principles, called the Toyota Way, have been outlined by Toyota

7. Conclusions
Fierce competition, fluctuating market demand and rising customer requirements has led to customers becoming
more demanding with increased preferences (Zhang and Cheng, 2006). This is as a result of today’s marketplace,
characterized by shorter product lifecycles, more competitive product introductions and volatility in demand, which
makes life-cycle demand more uncertain and difficult to predict (Christopher and Rutherford, 2004).
In the automotive industry, the 21st century, participating largely in globalization has created significant
opportunities, and at the same time, put pressure on manufacturers to enhance quality, improve styling, increase
organizational efficiencies and drive innovative features into their products in an effort to attract customers and
expand into new markets (BCC, 2005).
These challenges imply that automotive manufacturers need to be flexible and responsive to customer demand in
order to succeed. The critical role of supply chain management (SCM) in enhancing the automotive performance
cannot be underscored. Authorities and organizations such as (Gunasekaran and Ngai, 2004; Hugo et al., 2004; Wei
and Chen, 2008; IBM, 2009) have in one way or the other acknowledged the role of supply chain as source of

competitive advantage to the automobile industry.
The industry has undergone significant structural and other changes in the last decade (Michalos et al., 2009). In
light of this, the last 20 years has seen SCM practices developed toward more lean process approaches, in order to
increase supply chain efficiency (reducing costs and eliminating inefficiencies).
The fiercely competitive global business environment and increasing customer demands have led to the development
and continuous evolution of a number of related disciplines including SCM (Sahay et al., 2006). Supply chain
management (SCM) can be defined as the design and management of seamless, value-added process across
organizational boundaries to meet the real needs of the end customer (Fawcett et al., 2007).
Generally, SCM involves relationships and managing the inflow and outflow of goods, services and information
(network) between and within producers, manufacturers and the consumers (Christopher, 2005; Samaranayake,
2005; Gripsrud, 2006).
A supply chain includes all activities, functions and facilities (directly or indirectly) in the flow and transformation
of goods and services from the material stage to the end user (Sherer, 2005). It consists of an upstream supplier
network and downstream channel (Klemencic, 2006).
Today, many organizations have become part of at least one supply chain. They have to perform equally well in
order to achieve better performance. A typical supply chain may include suppliers, manufacturers, distributors,
retailers and customers.
The automotive industry is made up of supply management and physical distribution management. The industry
supply chain stretches from the producers of raw materials through to the assembly of the most sophisticated
electronic and computing technologies (Tang and Qian, 2007). The major component of the supply chain include
suppliers (tier 1 - 3), OEMs, distribution centers, dealers, customers (Hugo et al., 2004). Most automotive OEMs
create 30 to 35% of value internally and delegate the rest to their supplier (Dietz, 2004).
Manufacturers purchased entire subassemblies, such as doors, power trains, and electronics from suppliers. The
desire to work with partners to outsource subassemblies is leading to a radically new infrastructure to support the
design, procurement, and logistics processes of the manufacturers (Benko et al., 2004).
Tang and Qian (2007) comprehend that to improve their innovative ability, get cars to market faster and reduce
errors, automotive manufacturers need to improve their development and management abilities through advances in
computer-aided design (CAD), computer aided process planning (CAPP), computer-assisted manufacturing (CAM),
computer-aided engineering (CAE), concurrent engineering (CE), product data management (PDM), business
process engineering, etc.
The automotive industry has undergone a transformational evolution over the last two decades (Swieki and Gerth,
2008). Hugo et al. (2004) noted that the traditional method for designing an automotive supply chain requires a fully
integrated, lean materials flow pipeline, certain design constructs and activities have to be engineered into the supply
chain.
Historically, the industry operated under a “push” model. In this model, marketing and sales takes a best guess at
market demand and then feed these forecasts into the design, engineering, financial and manufacturing teams to
determine make and/or model production volumes (Howard et al., 2006).
With the boom of the Internet, data has become much more accessible to both manufacturers and consumers of
automobiles (GXS, 2005; Tang and Qian, 2007). The industry focused primarily on lean, “Just In-Time”
manufacturing processes and their supporting technologies. OEMs and suppliers spent millions of dollars and
millions of man-hours re-engineering processes and technologies to support a demand-driven model.
Because the price tag for reengineering and supporting technologies, for example, ERP was prohibitively high,
efforts were limited to OEMs and their Tier 1 suppliers. Significant progress was made to “commonize” process and

technology within the “four walls,” however, these efforts were creating a widening process and technology gap
between OEMs, Tier 1s and the rest of the automotive supply chain.
As the Internet became a common fixture in automotive business-to business (B2B), competitive pressures grew
exponentially (Tang and Qian, 2007). In mature markets, automotive firms face stiff competition and demanding
customers. Mass production (forecast driven) has led to overstocking, extra marketing expenses and low profitability
The fierce competition, fluctuating market demand and rising customer requirements is a key challenge in the
automotive industry.
Lengthy demand planning cycles and lack of visibility to supplier, material, and production constraints have caused
scheduling delays and short term production changes. Customers are more demanding and the sheer varieties of cars
create an increasingly complex challenge, different preferences and specific requirements for each car, which
includes the range of body-styles, engine sizes, colours, options, and trim levels, etc.
The automotive industry requires flexibility and responsiveness in their supply chains. In order to maintain and
improve levels of efficiency, quality and cost effectiveness, automotive component suppliers will have to look at
different areas across the board to streamline their operations. The generic supply chain strategies are lean and agile
supply chain. While leanness is most appropriate to be used in a stable and predictable environment, agility can
achieve more benefits in a volatile and unanticipated environment.
The leanness paradigm pays more attention to the low cost, high quality and is more focused on technology and
systems. On the contrary, the agility may put higher emphasis on the flexibility and quick delivery to the customers.
An agile manufacturer needs to maintain a certain degree of buffer capacity to cope with the volatile demand and
high variety of products and is focused on people and information.
Furthermore, the paper suggests a framework for legal supply chain for the automobile industry. Application of the
framework would ensure cost minimization and at the same time respond to customer demand. The industry is faced
with global financial crisis. This has led to increased pressure on the automotive competitive performance. Hence,
leagile supply chain is the strategy of the millennium that can alleviate the automobile industry from the current
challenges and suggesting a framework for leagile supply chain strategy is of utmost importance to the industry.
Lean is becoming the next "quality" or "e Business" practice area. In the 1980s, companies with superior quality
were able to more easily enter new markets and command higher prices for their products and services than
companies with inferior quality.
In summary, the type of inter-firm relation and the interaction between public and private sectors show the
integrative approach of Lean Practitioners, which prioritizes the parties‟ mutual goals over their individual interests.
Information exchange, technological transfer and diffusion of practices among firms are strongly emphasized. Such a
holistic view created a pattern of close relationship among firms and an environment of cooperation, which involves
joint efforts to improve productivity and quality of the entire supply chain network, facilitating technology spill over
and information sharing across firms and industrial boundaries.
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Research Results on the Japanese Approach to Supply Chain Management

1 | Page www.iiste.org Abstract This paper deals with the application of quantifying lean manufacturing and its effectiveness in Japanese automobile industry. Case studies were carried out on Japanese automobile industry on the application of lean production, regarding the Japanese approach to the Supply Chain management approach to Supply. The Research results on the Japanese Approach to supply Chain Management are illustrated in the following sections 2.Kaizen activities